We usually see large mixed flocks of redwings and fieldfares around Christmas which descend on any berry bushes and strip them. This year we saw only half a dozen redwings, and no fieldfares until this week. Even then only two have been noticed. They were desperately hungry and still manged to strip all our bushes.

We've been getting a lot of birds in our garden over the cold snaps in January and February. Up to 40 Chaffinch and 35 Blackbird simultaneously. We've missed out on the Waxwing invasion so far, but rarer species have included up to 6 Brambling, 6 Reed Bunting and 5 Siskin. I would be interested to hear what visitors other people have had this winter.

Dumb collared doves trying to build a nest behind our Sky dish - again!. The last time they tried that was almost exactly five years ago - and it failed. Below a picture from then, and below that, two pictures taken today.

David, nice to bump into you today in the idyllic surroundings of the Woodman beer garden.If you'd like to maintain a permanent searchable record of all your sightings and contribute to a national ornithological database, try using BTO's Birdtrack at https://app.bto.org/birdtrack/main/data-home.jspIt's quite simple to use... you register, set up a site(s) (e.g. Brookmans Park, Wildhill etc.) and submit either a list of species seen during a site visit, or casual one-off records. You can subsequently refer back to your historical records using the Explore My Records tab.

It's quite simple to use... you register, set up a site(s) (e.g. Brookmans Park, Wildhill etc.) and submit either a list of species seen during a site visit, or casual one-off records. You can subsequently refer back to your historical records using the Explore My Records tab.

Yes, nice to bump into you today. And thanks for the link. I have just registered on the site and I am now reading up on how it's done. Should keep me busy and out of mischief.

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The Brookmans Park Newsletter has been supporting the village and our local community since 1998 by providing free, interactive tools for all to use.

There has been a big irruption of Hawfinches this winter, and today I had my first sighting in the village. There was one consorting with Redwings in the hedgerows in Leach's fields this morning. Also in Gobions there were around 20 Siskins, and a single Marsh Tit. Also perhaps of interest, I've been getting 1 or 2 Bramblings in the garden over the last fortnight.